Feed mechanism for mechanical ball-pitchers.



J. M. KYLE.

FEED MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL BALL PITCHERS.

APPLICATION FILED mac-30, I9l5.

11. ,2Q9,9 Patented June 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. M. KYLE.

FEED MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL BALL PITCHERS. APPLICATION FILED 050.30.l9l5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ST FAN JAMES IVE. KYLE, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO SMITH-UPTON00., OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

'FEED'MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL BALL-PITCHERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1917.

Application filed December 30, 1915. Serial No. 69,429.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs M. KYLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Vvashington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism forMechanical Ball-Pitchers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention involves certain novel improvements in ballpitching machines. and appertains particularly to the provision ofspecially designed automatic feed mechanism for such machines.

The invention in its practical embodiment is intended for use inconnection with a battery of mechanical ball pitchers the feedingmechanism including a suitable conveyer for elevating the ballspreliminary to feeding them to the throwing arms of the cooperativepitching devices, and an automatic separator being employed to receivethe balls from said conveyer and alternately feed said balls one at atime to the throwing arms from which they are projected throug theoperation of'suitable controlling mechanism.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to behad to the following description and the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a feeding mechanism embodying theinvention shown in connection with a battery of two pitching machinessuitably spacedapart and to the throwing arms of whichmachines the saidfeed mechanism supplies the balls to be projected.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, only thethrowing arms of the pitchingmachines being illustrated. I

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the conveyer mechanism associated with oneof the feeding troughs, the latter being illustrated in end elevation. I

Fig. 4c is a fragmentary perspective view bringing out more clearly theaction of the ball pushing feeding member.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken about on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a conveyor flight.

Describing the invention specifically, the ball pitching machines aredesignated A and B in the drawings and it is to be understood that theimprovements hereinafter de scribed are susceptible of use in connectionwith any type of mechanical pitching device involving a throwing arm towhich the objects to be projected, balls in the present instance, are tobe supplied intermittently. The machines A and B may therefore be saidto be of any conventional type equipped with the throwing arms 1 ofhollow formation the latter being rotatable upon shafts 2. Each shaft 2will be driven by any suitable power mechanism, such as a motor 3 anddriving belt connection 1 from said motor to a pulley wheel 5 on theshaft 2, the various parts being preferably supported by the stand 6.The throwing arms 1 are hollow and at the central outer portion of eacharm is provideda supply opening through which the balls are fedpreliminary to being projected through the centrifugal action of thearm, in the well known manner.

Passing now to the ball feeding instrumentalities forming the essentialfeature of the present improvements, it will be ob served'from Fig. 3 ofthe drawings that a suitable return trough 7 is arranged to receive theballs or objects to be projected and is inclined downward toward thelower end of the endless conveyor 8. The balls after being thrown areintended to be returned to the machine by means of'the trough 7, aconveyer belt 9 operating at the bottom of the trough 7 to assistgravity in causing movement of the balls to the conveyor 8. The conveyer8 is supplied with flights or lifting members 10 at intervals in itslength and said conveyer operates about suitable pulleys 11 in such amanner that at regular intervals a ball carried upward by the conveyerisdeposited in a supply chute 12 adj acent to the upper delivery end ofthe conveyer. The supply chute 12 is downwardly inclined and leads tothe oppositely extending feed chutes l3, seen best in Figs..1 and 4.

The feed chutes 13 incline downwardly in opposite directions, eachchuteleadin'g from the supply-chute 12 to the supply opening of anadjacent throwing arm 1.

The feed chutes l3 meet at an angle at the point of connection therewithof the supply chute 12 and separating mechanism is located at the upperportions of said chutes 13 and adapted to alternately feed the balls oneat a time to the respective chutes 13.

The separating mechanism above referred to includes the separatingmember 1a operating in the chutes 13 approximately at the juncture ofthe latter and opposite a chute 12, said member 14, being mounted upon alever 15 pivotally supported intermediate its ends at 16 and adapted torock automatically so that the member 14: will direct the balls firstinto one of the chutes 13 and then into the other, in an alternatingmanner as previously mentioned. The automatic con trolling means for theseparating member 14: includes depressible bottom members 17 pivoted at18 to the bottom portions of the chutes 13. The pivotal support of eachbottom member 17 is at its outer end and its inner end operates in ayoke 19 depending from the adjacent chute 13 adjacent to the upper endof the latter. Intermediate its ends each depressible bottom member 17is connected by a link 20 with the adjacent end of the rocking lever 15carrying the separating member 14. With the above structure in mind itwill be apparent that when the separating member 14: is in the positionshown in Fig. 1 the ball passing from the chute 12 will be caused to besupplied to the chute 13 at the left hand chute 13. The weight of thisball upon the bottom member 17 of said chute 13 depresses said bottommember and causes a rocking of the lever 15 whereby to raise the bottommember 17 of the right hand chute 13 which action places the lastmentioned member 17 in the inclined position so that a ball or ballssupported thereon may be free to gravitate downward therein toward theassociated throwing arm 1. Obviously the rocking of the lever 15 into aposition reverse to that of Fig. 1 causes the next ball to be directedto the right hand chute 13 by the member 14, and such action depressesthe right hand bottom member 17 and reverses the position of the lever15, this operation continuing automatically so long as balls aresupplied from the supply chute 12 and conveyer 8.

It is not intended that the balls or objects to be fed to the throwingarm 1 shall pass immediately thereto upon being received in the chute13. For this reason each chute 13 is provided at its outer or deliveryend with an abutment 21 substantially in alinement with the body portionof the chute and said chute is also formed with an ofiset outlet portion22. Mounted in the outer end of each chute 13 is a delivery member inthe form of a push rod 23 operating transversely of the chute through anopening in its side portion and just above the abutment 21. The push rod23 is connected with a Copies of this patent'may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the the ball to the point lever 2& adapted tobe operated by an operating bar 25 which bar 25 may be actuated in turnby a hand lever 26 or by any suitable means, this being immaterial tothe invention. Whatever operating means is employed for the member 23 isintended to be located conveniently to the operator and thereforeconvenient to the main controlling means by which the direction offlight as well as the time of delivery of the balls from the throwingarms 1 are determined and controlled.

By the provision of the mechanism hereinbefore described it will beapparent that the necessity of duplicating entirely special feedinginstrumentalities for each mechanical ball pitcher is avoided, andfurthermore the means for alternately supplying the balls to themechanical pitchers forming the battery described operates entirelyautomatically, something desidedly advantageous for obvious reasons.

The flights or lifting members 10 of the conveyor 8 are advantageouslyformed of a single piece of wire bentintermediate its ends to form aloop 10 secured by a stud 10 to the conveyor belt, the opposite ends ofthe wire being bent laterally away from each other and outward to formlifting fingers adapted to readily engage and carry where it is to bedeposited. As a further detail of the invention the separating member1-1, which is a cut-off also in respect to its functioning regarding thechutes 13, may be supplied with a V-shaped ball engaging tip 14:.

While I have described the improvements of my invention in detail asrequired by the statute, I do not wish to limit myself to the exactdetails set forth since the latter may be materially modified inpractical construction while preserving the essential features of saidimprovements.

Having thus described the invention, is claimed is:

In feeding mechanism of the class described, the combination ofoppositely inclined connected chutes, depressible bottom members for thechutes, a rocking lever con nected at its opposite ends to said bottommembers, a separating member carried by the rocking lever intermediateits ends and what shiftable to cause alternate feeding of ob- JAMES M.KYLE.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). 0.

